MASTERFUL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS Those of us in the media relations business have to tip our hats to the Magellan Company and its spokesman Bruce W. Heine, director of government and media affairs, for the handling of the recent explosion and gas fire (6/4) at its KCK pipeline terminal. It was a textbook example of how to do crisis communications. The crisis was handled perfectly: * Heine responded quickly to the news media * He sandwiched all his messages around the fact that no folks were injured (always put people first during a crisis). * Although plumes of burning gas could be seen from miles away he assured folks that the EPA was on-site and there was no real danger. * He didn't speculate about what caused the explosion or when the fire would burn out. When the president and general manager of a local TV station applauds your company's crisis communications efforts (below), you know you have handled the situation masterfully.
The fire Tuesday night at the Magellan storage tank in the Fairfax District was a spectacular sight. But the most amazing thing about it was not the pictures, but that nobody was hurt and the fire was contained. Other nearby storage tanks were untouched. When something like this happens, companies and government agencies are often criticized, either for their slow responses or their ineptitude. Not this time. The credit has to go to the company and the fire department. They trained for such an event and had a response plan. It saved property and may have saved lives. Beyond containing the fire, they summoned the EPA to monitor the environmental impact and a company spokesperson was quickly on site to convey information to the public. Disaster responses aren't always this effective. That's why we commend the employees of Magellan and the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department. It was a textbook example of how crisis management should work.
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